Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

• US 20020064395A1
• Filed: 11/15/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nagata, Tsutomu, Yamaguchi, Jun, Kimura, Takahiko, Sanada, Yoshiaki, Funayama, Naotaka
• Granted Patent: US 6,567,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/120
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0855 the concentration being measured by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0865 Arrangements for supplying new developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0875 cartridges having a box like shape
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/12 Toner waste containers

Abstract

A toner cartridge includes: a toner storage chamber; a toner collecting chamber; a partitioning wall for separating these chambers; a cylindrical return pipe penetrating through the partitioning wall with a conveyer screw arranged therein and is configured so that when the amount of untransferred toner collected into the toner collecting chamber exceeds the height of the return pipe, the untransferred toner is conveyed by the rotation of the conveyer screw to be returned into the toner storage chamber.

Claims

1. A toner cartridge comprising:

a toner storage chamber for storing fresh toner;

a toner collecting chamber disposed on the side of, and separated by a partitioning wall from, the toner storage chamber, for collecting the untransferred toner removed from the photoconductor;

a toner passage disposed at a predetermined height penetrating through the partitioning wall and establishing communication between the toner storage chamber and the toner collecting chamber; and

a toner conveyer means disposed inside the toner passage for conveying the untransferred toner input from the toner collecting chamber side toward the toner storage chamber.

2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the toner passage is configured of a pipe-like passage having openings at both ends for allowing communication between the toner storage chamber and toner collecting chamber, and the toner conveyer means is configured of a rotor that rotates about the axis inside the pipe-like passage to convey the untransferred toner.

3. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a sealing element or a pair of sealing elements removably attached are provided for the passage opening or openings at one or both ends of the toner passage.

4. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a sealing element or a pair of sealing elements are provided for the passage opening or openings at one or both ends of the toner passage and are adapted to move to release the passage opening or openings in linkage with the action of the toner conveyer means.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a developing unit for making the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor visible;

a transfer unit for transferring the toner image developed by the developing device to the printing material;

a cleaning unit for removing the untransferred toner remaining on the photoconductor surface after transfer by the transfer unit;

a toner cartridge removably mounted to a position so as to be associated with the developing unit and cleaning unit, in order to supply the fresh toner stored in a toner storage chamber to the developing unit and collect the untransferred toner removed by the cleaning unit into the toner collecting chamber, wherein the toner cartridge comprises;

a toner storage chamber for storing fresh toner;

a toner collecting chamber disposed on the side of, and separated by a partitioning wall from, the toner storage chamber, for collecting the untransferred toner removed from the photoconductor;

a toner passage disposed at a predetermined height penetrating through the partitioning wall and establishing communication between the toner storage chamber and the toner collecting chamber; and

a toner conveyer means disposed inside the toner passage for conveying the untransferred toner input from the toner collecting chamber side toward the toner storage chamber.